THE BLACK ART AND OCCULT SCIENCES.
To make a thorough analysis of this interesting subject, and trace
the origin of magic, would take much more space than we have at our
command; and we can only mention a few of the many forms which may be
grouped under the head of the occult sciences, and those especially
which had any connection with the alchemists. There is little doubt
that most of the alchemists were students, if not practitioners, of
magic or some of its branches.
The antiquity of magic is very great; and we have record of magicians
and wise men in early Jewish times, as well as the magic formulæ of the
Vedas in India, as handed down to us in the religion of the Hindoos.
Moreover, magic was practised by the Chaldeans, of whom a certain tribe
devoted their energies to studying the occult sciences. Pliny tells us
of the dealings in the supernatural in the time of Homer, and other
writers record that magic was also known to the Etruscans and Assyrians
at a very early period. As time rolled on, the different forms of
magic practised became specialised, according to their several natures.
For instance, there were Astrology and Oneiromancy, which comprised the
various forms of divination; Theurgy and Goetry, the art of evoking
good or evil spirits; Necromancy, by means of which communication was
held with the dead; and Sorcery, which exercised its power by the
influence of dreams.
The longings after the supernatural and unknown felt by the great
ignorant masses brought forth individuals in plenty to take advantage
of their credulity. During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries the
occult sciences were openly taught in the universities and schools,
and 200 years later reached the zenith of their influence; and
practitioners of astrology and the black arts abounded and flourished
throughout Europe.
The professors of Oneiromancy were those who divined or interpreted
dreams, and founded their traditions in the art from its being in
accordance with the Scriptures. The explanation of dreams also did
not go counter to the doctrines of the Church, and so the cult found
many believers among all classes of society. It was denounced by Pope
Gregory II. as a detestable practice; but this did not prevent it being
largely employed in forecasting the future.
Arnauld de Villeneuve, who wrote a work on the subject in the
thirteenth century, gives a certain code by which those who practised
it worked.
Whoever dreamt that his hair was thick and carefully curled would
soon become wealthy. If anything was wrong with the hair, evil was
betokened. It also foreshadowed harm if a wreath was worn composed of
flowers that were not in season. Other codes signified that to dream
of the eyes, related to children; the head, to a father; the arms, to
brothers; the feet, to servants; the right hand, to the mother, to
sons, and to friends; and the left hand, to the wife and daughter.
Another method was founded on the theory that whatever was dreamt of,
the antithesis or opposite would follow in life. From this we have
probably the saying common to-day, “dream of a wedding and it is a sign
of a funeral”. According to many old writers there was scarcely any
important event in the middle ages which was not announced by a dream.
The day before Henry II. was struck by the blow of a lance during a
tournament, Catherine de Medicis, his wife, dreamt that she saw him
lose one of his eyes. Three days before he fell by the knife of Jacques
Clément, Henry III. dreamt he saw the royal insignia stained with
blood and trodden under foot by monks and people of the lower orders.
Henry IV. also, before he was murdered by Raveillac, it is said, heard
during the night his wife Marie de Medicis say to herself as she woke,
“Dreams are but falsehoods!” and when he asked her what she had dreamt,
she replied, “That you were stabbed upon the steps of the little
Louvre!” “Thank God it is but a dream,” rejoined the king.
The necromancers, who were supposed to be able to conjure up spirits
and raise the dead, were accounted on a somewhat higher plane than the
interpreters of dreams. They also based their authority on the Old
Testament. The nature of the art was gruesome and awe-inspiring, and
there is little doubt many dark deeds were perpetrated by those who
practised it. One method of evocation was to kill a child and place
its head upon a dish surrounded by lighted candles; the desired spirit
was supposed to enter this ghastly object and speak through its mouth.
Sometimes the spirit simply consisted of some muttered words from
behind a curtain in a dark cellar; another method was to cause the
appearance of a sepulchral figure out of smoke or vapour, which would
indicate by gesture and reply to questions asked. To evoke a dead
man’s spirit, it was necessary to go to the grave at midnight with a
companion who bore a candle in the left hand and a crystal stone in the
right, the conjurer holding a hazel wand with the name of God written
on it, and repeating the words:—
“Tetragrammaton + Adonai + Agla + Craton +”
Then striking three times on the ground, with a prayer he commanded the
spirit into the stone, when it appeared in the shape of a child.
The conjurer often wore a girdle of lion’s skin with the name of God
written on it, and the Solomon’s circle he described with a bright
knife, on the blade of which were written certain mystic words.
Necromancy gradually merged into sorcery, which has occasionally come
to the surface in comparatively recent years.
Chiromancy, the art of divining or foretelling future events from
marks on the palm of the hand, was also practised in antiquity,
but in mediæval times it was strongly opposed by the Church. The
practice is supposed to have been brought into Europe from the East
by the Bohemians in the early part of the fifteenth century. This art
eventually merged into astrology, which exerted the greatest influence
of all the occult sciences.
The antiquity of astrology is very great, it having been originated
by the Chaldeans, and was thought by some of the Jews to have been a
method by which the Creator could communicate with His people. The art
itself was based on astronomy, and, like alchemy, was the beginning of
the study of real natural science. The teller of the stars was not only
supposed to foretell forthcoming misfortunes to individuals, but also
to forecast the destinies of kings and empires.
The belief in its power was so great that it became the fashion among
royal personages of the sixteenth century to keep their own special
astrologers, who were lodged easy of access and loaded with honours and
wealth. These men were mostly astute Jews well versed in the science
of their time, and by means of their supposed powers they often played
a very important part in the political affairs of the nation. Thus in
the fifteenth century Rovigo, an astrologer of eminence, who is said
to have perfected the astrolabe, was attached to the Court of King
John II. of Portugal; and Simon Pharès figured at the Court of France
in the time of Charles VIII. We must not forget to mention Cosmo
Ruggieri, the Florentine astrologer and the confidant of Catherine
de Medicis; also the celebrated Nostradamus, astrologer and trusted
adviser of Charles IX. This extraordinary man played a prominent part
in the history of his time, and was supposed to practise magic and
alchemy as well as the healing art. He was consulted by the king in all
positions of difficulty, and it is said became immensely wealthy. He
died in 1566 at Salon, after having written several notable works.